Interview With Author Skye Alexander
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m the author of nearly 50 fiction and nonfiction books, many in the mind-body-spirit field. I also write the Lizzie Crane Jazz Age mystery series. My stories have appeared in anthologies internationally and my work has been translated into 15 languages.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The fourth in my mystery series, Running in the Shadows, just came out this month (August 2024). It’s set in Salem, Boston, and Gloucester Massachusetts in March 1926 and is an intriguing story of art forgery and theft. Because I’m an artist, the topic has always fascinated me. I also enjoyed writing this book because I lived in those three cities for 31 years and have been to all the places mentioned in it.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so. My writing life is a lot like that of many other writers. I’m serious about my work and write regularly, but I don’t have a fixed schedule and if I miss a day or two I don’t feel guilty. Because I write historical mysteries, I do a ton of research that people who write contemporary novels don’t necessarily need to do.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Nearly every book I read influences me in some way. Some of my favorite authors are William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Mark Twain, Jane Austen, Harper Lee, Cormac McCarthy, Dennis Lehane, Neil Gaiman, Jodi Picoult, Philippa Gregory, Anita Shreve, Ann Padchett, Richard Russo, Lisa Scottoline, and that’s just scratching the surface of fiction writers.
What are you working on now?
I just finished the first draft of the sixth novel in my Lizzie Crane mystery series. It’s resting while I do marketing for Running in the Shadows (the fourth in the series). In a month or so, I’ll go back to it and do a rewrite.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I like doing guest posts and interviews for blogs, about topics related to historical mysteries. I also enjoy personal interviews, speaking at libraries, and talking to book clubs. In addition, I do some kind of old-school stuff, including sending out postcards about my novels to bookstores, libraries, historical societies, and places that are mentioned in my books.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t give up. This is a difficult field to succeed in and the authors who do work very hard at it. Don’t expect to write a bestseller during a two-week vacation. It takes time and effort to develop your craft–it’s like playing the piano or running a marathon, the more you work at it, the better you’ll get.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Exactly what I just advised new authors to do.
What are you reading now?
This week: Hard Rain, by Samantha Jayne Allen; Personal History, by Katharine Graham; Essence & Alchemy, by Mandy Aftel; Emmanuel’s Book, by Pat Rodegast and Judith Stanton; The House at Pooh Corner, by A.A. Milne–and like most writers I know, I have stacks of books waiting in line.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Rewriting the sixth novel in my mystery series.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
That’s a very difficult decision. One would be The Gift, by Hafiz. Maybe The Places that Scare You, by Pema Chodron.
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